The building's groundbreaking took place in January 2008, and it opened to tenants and the public on November 13, 2013.[10] As of 2016[update], it is the third tallest skyscraper at the rebuilt World Trade Center, behind
One and
3 World Trade Center. However,
2 World Trade Center is expected to surpass the height of both 3 and 4 WTC upon completion.[11] The total floor space of the building includes 1.8 million square feet (167,000 square meters) of office and retail space.[12]

Contents

Original building (1975–2001)

The original 4 World Trade Center was a 9-story low-rise office building completed in 1975 that was 118 ft (36 m) tall, and located in the southeast corner of the World Trade Center site. The first tenants moved into the building in January 1977.[13] The building's major tenants were
Deutsche Bank (Floor 4, 5, and 6) and the
New York Board of Trade (Floors 7, 8, and 9). The building's side facing Liberty Street housed the entrance to
The Mall at the World Trade Center on the basement concourse level of the WTC. It was practically destroyed as a result of the collapse of the
South Tower during the
September 11 attacks and its remains were later demolished to make way for the construction of the new skyscrapers: Four World Trade Center and
Three World Trade Center. 4 World Trade Center was home to five commodities exchanges on what was at the time one of the world's largest trading floors (featured in the
Eddie Murphy movie Trading Places). Following the destruction of the building during 9/11, rescuers and surveyors exploring the building's basement discovered large amounts of gold and silver bullion in the vault; a sizeable amount of coins that had been stored there by the
Bank of Nova Scotia were purchased in 2002 as cleanup efforts began by Lee S. Minshull of California, who then submitted the coins to
PCGS for grading; these coins bear unique labels on their holders, and have since entered the hands of collectors.[14]

NOAA aerial image days after the attacks. North is approximately on the upper right corner of the photo.

4 WTC, southeast corner. WTC building remains and neighboring buildings (Note the original footprints of the Twin Towers and 7 WTC)

A birds eye view of the World Trade Center complex after September 11, 2001, with the original locations of the buildings.

Preliminary site plans for the World Trade Center rebuild.

Former site plan, with original 4 World Trade Center at the southeast corner.

Current building

Construction

Groundbreaking took place in 2008. The building reached street level in November 2009. The safety cocoon was installed December 2010. The first glass was installed May 2011. In November 2010, three
PureCellfuel cells were delivered at the World Trade Center site which together will provide about 30% of the tower's power.[16] The structural engineer for the building is
Leslie E. Robertson Associates, New York City.[17]

On February 16, 2012, one of the building's construction crane cables snapped while lifting steel, causing the steel to fall 40 stories from the building, landing on a flat bed truck. No injuries were reported. Construction on the building eventually resumed after the accident.[18]

On June 25, 2012, steel topped out at floor 72.[19] Structural steel and concrete completed by June 1, 2013, followed by the removal of construction fencing in September 2013 and the building's opening on November 13, 2013.[20] Cost of construction of 4 World Trade Center was US$1.67 billion, funded by insurance funds and
Liberty bonds.[2] The first tenants to move in were two government agencies,[21] and as of July 2015[update], the building is 62% leased.[22]

Gallery

Construction on March 26, 2011.

Construction on August 7, 2011.

Construction on October 4, 2011.

Construction on March 12, 2012.

Construction on October 17, 2012.

Layout and occupancy

The above-ground portion of the building dedicated for retail use (which consists of the ground floor, the three floors immediately above the ground floor as well as the two floors below ground), accommodates offices using two distinct floor shapes. From floors 7 through 46, the typical floor space is 36,350 square feet (3,376 square meters) in the shape of a
parallelogram (which is designed to echo the configuration of the site).[11] From floors 48 through 63 the floor space is 28,000 sq ft (2,600 square meters) in the shape of a
trapezoid, shaped so that it opens toward the tip of
Manhattan Island and also triangulated to face One World Trade Center. The tower includes five levels of
mechanical floors.[11] The New York Power Authority selected
UTC Power to provide 12
PureCell Model 400 fuel cells that will be used to provide electricity, water and heat. According to the developer, the systems combined will rank as one of the largest installations of fuel cells in the world.[16] The upper floors of the building have no interior columns.

^"
Contact Us." Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Retrieved on January 5, 2019. "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Corporate Offices 4 World Trade Center 150 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007"